Method and apparatus for recording billable time and services

Abstract

A portable timing device stores selectable user, client and activity data. The device has a memory which stores user selected information relating to a user, client and activity along with corresponding start and stop times. The system communicates with a central billing computer over an appropriate two way port which reads and writes to the memory in the device. Also, disclosed is a method for recording provider, client and services in real time employing a streamlined and efficient sequencing of operation.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for recording billable times and services of a provider for a client comprising the steps of: providing a central processing unit including timer, first memory, second memory, a first data selector, a second data selector, and a timer selector, each being operatively coupled to the CPU;   storing in the first memory selectable data entries corresponding to the providers, the clients and the services in each of a plurality of corresponding selectable lists;   storing in the second memory a portion of the selectable data from each of said lists along with corresponding time interval data therefor;   selecting upon each sequential actuation of the first data selector, data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular list;   selecting upon each sequential actuation of the second data selector, data from each list stored in the second memory corresponding to a particular entry in each respective list to be selected;   actuating the timer selector for starting the timer and then actuating the timer selector for stopping the timer; and   entering concurrently, actuating the timer selector to stop the timer, start and stop times for the timer for the selected data and the selected data into the second memory.   
     
     
       2. A method according to the claim 1 further comprising providing a communications channel coupled to the CPU; entering the selectable data into the first memory via said communications channel and reading out selected portions of the selectable data from the second memory via said communications channel.   
     
     
       3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing data entry locking means responsive to the timer selector and blocking entry of any data in the first memory into the second memory between the start and stop times. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second data selector comprises a pair of switches and selecting the data in the first memory comprises the steps of actuating the first switch for scrolling the list in a first direction and selecting the second switch for scrolling the list in an opposite direction. 
     
     
       5. A method for operating an apparatus for recording a real time billable time, services and providers for clients comprising: displaying at least one provider from a stored list of providers and incrementing the list until a desired provider is displayed;   displaying at least one client from a stored list of clients and incrementing the list until a desired client is displayed;   displaying at least one service from a list of services and incrementing the list until a desired service is displayed;   actuating a sequentially operable timing switch, a first actuation for starting a timer and recording a start time and a second subsequent actuation for stopping the timer and recording a stop time and concurrently with said second actuation recording the selected provider, client and service; and   preventing any change in the selected client, provider and service between the first and second actuations.   
     
     
       6. An apparatus for recording in real time billable time and services of providers for clients comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) including a timer for producing time interval data;   a first memory coupled to the CPU for storing selectable data entries corresponding to the providers, the clients, and the services in each of a plurality of corresponding selectable lists;   a second memory coupled to the CPU for storing an entry of the selectable data from each of said lists along with corresponding elapsed time interval data;   a first data selector coupled to the CPU being sequentially actuable and operative for selecting upon each sequential actuation thereof data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular list for entry into the second memory;   a second data selector coupled to the CPU being sequentially actuable and operative for selecting upon sequential actuations thereof data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular entry in each corresponding list; and   a timer selector coupled to the CPU being sequentially actuable and operative successively for starting the timer and then stopping the timer upon sequential actuations thereof, to establish start and stop times for the timer corresponding to the timer interval data for the selected data of the first and second data selector and for entering the time interval data, and the selected data into the second memory upon at least one of said actuations.   
     
     
       7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein each of said first and second data selector means and the time selector means comprises a sequentially actuable switch. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first memory means comprises a read-write memory for storing the plurality of lists and the first data selector means is operatively coupled to the first memory means for scrolling the lists. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the second memory means comprises a read-write memory for receiving the selected data along with the time interval data. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the timer comprises a real time clock coupled to the CPU and wherein the timer selector means is responsive to the real time clock for establishing the time interval data corresponding to the elapsed time. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the two-way communications channel includes a communications port for access to a remote processing means. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the communications port comprises an RS232 port. 
     
     
       13. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the remote processing means comprises a billing computer for writing data to the first memory and reading data from the second memory and for calculating billable time and services in accordance with the data from the second memory. 
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprises data entry blocking means responsive to the timer selector for blocking entry of any data from the first memory into the second memory between the start and stop time. 
     
     
       15. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the second data selector is operative for selecting a client, a user and an activity from each corresponding list. 
     
     
       16. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the second sequentially actuable data selector comprises a first switch for selecting data from the list in a first direction and a second switch for selecting data from the list in an opposite direction. 
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a display for displaying the selected data. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the first and second memory each comprise a read-write memory. 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a chip select coupled to the CPU in the first and second memory for selecting therebetween. 
     
     
       20. A method for recording time and services of a provider for a client comprising the steps of: providing a central processing unit including timer, first memory, second memory, a first data selector, a second data selector, and a timer selector, each being operatively coupled to the CPU;   storing in the first memory selectable data entries corresponding to the providers, the clients and the services in each of a plurality of corresponding selectable lists;   storing in the second memory a portion of the selectable data from each of said lists along with corresponding time interval data therefor;   selecting upon each sequential actuation of the first data selector, data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular list;   selecting upon each sequential actuation of the second data selector, data from each list stored in the second memory corresponding to a particular entry in each respective list to be selected; actuating the timer selector for starting the timer and then actuating the timer selector for stopping the timer to thereby establish time interval data corresponding to an elapsed time between actuations; and   entering upon at least one of said actuations the selected data and the time interval data into the second memory.   
     
     
       21. A method for operating an apparatus for recording time, services and providers for clients comprising: displaying at least one provider from a stored list of providers and incrementing the list until a desired provider is displayed;   displaying at least one client from a stored list of clients and incrementing the list until a desired client is displayed;   displaying at least one service from a list of services and incrementing the list until a desired service is displayed;   actuating a sequentially operable timing switch, a first actuation for starting a timer and a second subsequent actuation for stopping the timer to thereby establish time interval data corresponding to the elapsed time between said actuations;   recording upon at least one of said actuations the selected provider, client and service and time interval data; and   preventing any change in the selected client, provider and service between the first and second actuations.   
     
     
       22. An apparatus for recording data in real time comprising: a central processing unit (CPU) including a timer for producing time interval data;   a first memory coupled to the CPU for storing selectable data entries corresponding to the providers, the clients, and the services in each of a plurality of corresponding selectable lists;   a second memory coupled to the CPU for storing an entry of the selectable data from each of said lists along with corresponding time interval data;   a first data selector coupled to the CPU being sequentially actuable and operative for selecting upon each sequential actuation thereof data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular list for entry into the second memory;   a second data selector coupled to the CPU being sequentially actuable and operative for selecting upon sequential actuations thereof data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular entry in each corresponding list; and   a timer selector coupled to the CPU being sequentially actuable and operative successively for starting the timer and then stopping the timer upon sequential actuations thereof to establish the time interval data corresponding to the elapsed time between starting the timer and stopping the timer and for entering the selected data and the time interval data into the second memory.   
     
     
       23. A data logging system comprising: a timer startable and stopable for producing time interval data;   first memory for storing selectable data entries in each of a plurality of selectable lists;   second memory for storing selected portions of the selectable data from each of said lists along with corresponding time interval data thereof;   sequentially actuable first data selector means operatively coupled to the first memory operative successively for selecting upon sequential actuations thereof data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular list for entry into the second memory;   sequentially actuable second data selector means operatively coupled to the first memory operative successively for selecting upon sequential actuations thereof data stored in the first memory corresponding to a particular entry in each respective list;   sequentially actuable timer selector means operatively coupled to the timer and the second memory and operative successively for starting and stopping the timer respectively upon single sequential actuations thereof to produce the time interval data and for entering upon at least one of said actuations the time interval data and the data selected by the second data selector means into the second memory.